© John LaumerLint glop washed from insides of dryer exhaust vent segments.The Home section of every newspaper occasionally warns readers to clean out the lint trap on the clothes dryer: resulting in reduced fire hazard and faster clothes drying. My dryer seemed to be taking forever with large loads so I went the next step: disassembling all exhaust vent duct segments and washing them out with a garden hose - one disgusting tube at a time.I knew the duct work had been there for at least 15 years but was still surprised at the amount of glop that washed out (as pictured) and by one nearly-complete plug of lint I found.© John LaumerUnion of flexible stainless and rigid dryer vent ducts.Just above where the flexible steel vent is duct taped (it's really always been duct, not "duck" tape) to the rigid sheet metal tube above it, condensed lint had narrowed the cross section to perhaps half of what it had been. That's why the dryer had been so inefficient.© John LaumerRigid duct elbow just above dryer: directing exhaust through basement wall, discharging to the outside.

There was another big wet glop in the tube just to the left of the elbow. As exhaust air turned the corner it became more turbulent, creating a deposition zone.Further on down the tube there was a quarter inch uniform layer of damp lint. It got there because the basement is cool, especially when the HVAC air handler is on in the summer time. Water condensed on the inside, gradually trapping lint in increasing thickness as the years passed.If you had a dryer in a cool back porch room the same thing would happen over time, even without home air conditioning.Anyhow, the heavy load of wet towels and blankets that used to take 90 minutes to dry now only needs 25.I'm probably saving a very large amount of energy and money, from now on in. Especially since our electricity rates just went up 40% due to energy "de-regulation" rules promulgated during the last Clinton term: a law which, thankfully, did the exact opposite as the Republican Congress and the Clinton Administration claimed it would!Dryers are very energy intensive appliances.

It does little good to have an ultra efficient washing machine if the dryer tubes are plugged. best suction only vacuum cleanerIf you live in an apartment and pay your own utilities, the same holds true. clean laptop fan ventClean out the lint filter and every so often the vent ducts.duct cleaning equipment for saleA dirty dryer can lead to wet clothes and, possibly, a fire. fan hp laptop always runningAccording to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2010 an estimated 16,800 fires that involved clothes dryers or washing machines. laptop cooling fan price in bangladesh

Clothes dryers accounted for 92% of the fires with the leading cause of dryer fires being a dirty dryer. cleaning leather sofa with baby wipesDeep cleaning your dryer can keep linty fire hazards at bay and will keep your clothes drying efficiently. If you usually skip cleaning out the dryer filter, don't. The moist air produced from drying your clothes passes through the vent that is protected by the dryer filter. If the filter is clogged with lint, the moist air won't escape and it will take longer to dry your clothes. Even more important, you're letting a highly flammable material build up in an appliance that creates heat. So, clean that trap every time. Wiping the lint from the filter is fine most of the time, but sometimes it needs a little more attention. Fabric softeners can leave a waxy buildup on your filter, preventing good air flow. Every few months, clean it with a little dish soap, warm water and an old toothbrush.

Rinse it and dry it well before putting it back in your dryer.Before you pop that filter back into place, take a good look at the vent your filter covers. No doubt it is full of lint, gum wrappers, Legos and other things that shouldn't be in there. Yes, even though your filter grabs a lot of stuff so it can't go down the vent, a bunch of junk will somehow still make it through. You don't want to know the horrors I found in mine while researching for this article.Grab your vacuum and clean the vent out using a narrow hose attachment. Do this at least once a year to keep your dryer working well and to prevent fires.Pull your dryer out from the wall just a smidge. Do you see a big silver tube coming from your dryer and going into the wall? That's your vent tube. It carries all of the moist air from your dryer to the outdoors. Like your dryer vent, the vent tube needs to be cleaned once a year, as well. Loosen the screw on the metal band around the tube or pinch the metal wire that connects the vent to the dryer.

Pull the vent off and disconnect it from the wall. Since fabric softener can make the vent sticky, wash the vent in a sink of warm, sudsy water, rinse it and dry it well before putting it back on the dryer.Every 18 months or so, your dryer's motor and other mechanics will need to be cleaned because lint gets on just about everything. This kind of cleaning should be done by a professional, unless you feel confident with your mechanical skills. If that's the case:David Andrews provided these tips and below his suggestions are tips from Stephen Adams The most used appliance in the home is the washer and dryer. Here are tips for cleaning and maintenance of these valuable machines- Using your washer and dryer every week means that many cycles of dirt, detergent, water and heat pass through it — not to mention a lot of wear and tear. Here are simple ways to make your washer and dryer cleaner, safer and more efficient. Do this twice a year.First remove germs and detergent buildup in your washer by running an empty load on medium with hot water and two cups of chlorine bleach or white vinegar (see your product manual for specific recommendations for your machine).

In the middle of the wash cycle, add 1/2 cup of detergent. Let the load run the full cycle. After running the empty load, remove any stains on the washer drum with a soft abrasive cleanser and a sponge. Clean your dryer vent hose — doing so regularly helps prevent fires. Just unhook the clamps, dryer vent hose or ductwork from the back of the machine and the wall vent. Vacuum out both ends and inside the hose, then reattach the hose firmly to the machine and the wall vent. Use aluminum tape to reattach the ductwork joints. Check the interior dryer drum for stains: To remove gum, soak a dryer sheet in clothing stain remover and let the dryer tumble on the hot setting for 10 minutes. When it stops, wipe the gum with the dryer sheet. To get out crayon, ink or fabric-dye stains, simply spray inside the dryer drum with an all-purpose household cleaner or rubbing alcohol and wipe with a paper towel. Then throw some clean old towels in the dryer and run for 10 minutes, to remove residue from the tumbler.

One of the biggest problems with high-efficiency front loader washers is the accumulation of bacteria in fabric softener residue. European machines especially, seem to have more places in the system where the softener collects. And over time, bacteria begins to grow in the warm, safe environment of the softener sludge. Most fine fabric manufacturers do not recommend fabric softeners because of this build-up in the fabric weave. Over time, this tends to dull colors and can interact unpleasantly with some deodorants. The best way to control washer bacteria is to limit the use of softeners and add the prescribed amount of Hydrogen Peroxide for laundry, as found in Ecover, Generation, and other similar products found in better grocery stores. Hydrogen Peroxide kills living organisms without harming fabrics. If used on a regular basis, it eliminates bacteria even in Bosch – one of the more prone brands. Afresh (a Whirlpool product) is another way to help reduce fabric softener accumulation.